Its the time of year to start planning events and as always we will be at the Kempton Park Bike Jumble. The dates for this year are:
11 March
20 May (Includes Southern Classic Motorcycle Show)
22 July
16 September
21 October
2 December (includes Southern Classic Off Road Show)
More details of the event can be found at www.kemptonparkautojumble.co.uk
On 6-7 May we will be off to France for the Vintage Revival at Montlhery in France. Well worth a visit and check out the video below.
July is the Chateau Impney Hill climb and in September we will once again be participating in the Shere Hill Climb. watch out for more news on these later.
Website
The website has been somewhat dormant over the last few months, but work continues in the background to build a shop and to include some more interactive content. This blog will also find its way onto Fenlandclassics.com from this month forwards.
Next Month we will bring you up to date with events covered in the last couple of months.
Its June already and recently we have been busy signing off pages of the new
website. The new Fenland Classic Motorcycles.co.uk site will be the place to
visit for Bikes, Parts, News and information. We are even building a virtual
museum where you can discover Images and information about pre-war bikes. In
addition we will introduce “The Shed” where you can get hints and tips on that
hard to finish restoration, as well as keeping up with the Street Custom scene.
Clearly, such a venture is quite time-consuming, so we will be rolling it out
over the next 12 months. Watch this space or follow us on twitter
@fenlandclassics
Draft of the new Landing Page
Southern Classic Bike Show Diary
The May Bank Holiday was a busy Motorcycle weekend with the
Bike Shed Event, and Pendine. However, EP Enterprises Show and Auto-jumble at
Kempton Park was a must do event. On Friday afternoon I caught up with
organiser Eric Patterson for a quick chat as Exhibitors, and Stallholders were
arriving. The ever youthful Eric was proudly sharing his experiences of Elvington
Airfield the week before when he achieved a record breaking 132.494 MPH over a
mile on his 1000cc Vincent. Eric has built the event from humble beginnings in
a Village Hall, before moving to Ascot and then to its current location at
Kempton Park. Eric has retained a very hands on approach, which many feel is
what gives the Jumble and two annual shows a unique atmosphere. One knock on effect is
that Eric does not have long to chat as he is called away. I also had to make
way for other vehicles so with the help of one of the Brooklands Volunteers we
unloaded the Museum’s Francis Barnett and set up the stand.
Zoë Cano with her Bonneville
On the Day of the show I just managed to slip in the back
door as the main gates were opening. Understandably most people wanted to grab
a bargain over in the Jumble, so there was time for a quick chat with Zoë Cano about
her trip across America on a Triumph Bonneville. She was soon swamped with
customers keen to grab a signed copy of
her book so I moved on to the Marston Sunbeam and London Motorcycle Museum
stands to try and grab a few more WW1 vintage bikes for the Brooklands Great
War 100 Event on 27 Sept.
An early visitor learns more about Brooklands Museum
Once back at
the Brooklands Stand, people were keen to know about the Tommy Meeten Record
Breaking bike, and one Guy from the Two-stroke Club even brought over a picture
of Meeten at Brooklands on what we believe was an earlier bike of the same type.
I met Classic Bike Editor Gary Pinchin, fresh back from the London
Bike Shed Event the night before. He was busy gathering bikes for a photo shoot
and it was time for me to make my excuses and sneak off to grab some brake
cleaner and a few bits from the Jumble.
Brooklands Volunteers study picture provided by the 2-stroke Club
All too soon it was time to pack up. I had missed the
lunchtime engine run and the prize giving! If I was covering this for a
magazine I would have been sacked. However, I did a lot of networking and had a
great day out. If you have never been to a Kempton Show I recommend you pay a
visit to the Southern Off Road Show on 5 December 2015. If you can’t wait that
long the next Kempton Park Jumbles are on 25 July, 19 Sept and 24 Oct. More
details at: egp-enerprises.co.uk
If you have a 1910-1920 motorcycle and would
like to be part of the 1915 Service Events commemorations please email:
warbike@fenlandclassics.co.uk and we will send you details. Bikes manufactured during the above period will be free to register.
Triumph volunteer reports for duty in 1912
The Ethanol Debate
I meet a lot of Classic/Vintage bike owners and read a lot
of magazines. Over the last few years there has been a growing an obsession
with ethanol. I can’t seem to have a conversation without the “E” word popping
into the discussion somewhere along the line. Magazines and Club Newsletters
are filled with the latest thoughts on the dreaded ethanol. At least one
publication even refuses to print letters, preferring to summarise the
continuing deliberations at the end of each year. One thing is for sure; whilst there
are some very real issues, there are also a lot of urban myths out there.
Over the last few weeks I have heard various stories about the
level of ethanol in various branded pump fuel and one DIY ethanol removal
method doing the rounds. However, so far I have seen one cracked fibre glass tank,
several leaking taps and two ruined paint-jobs caused by petrol.
Over the next few months we will be doing a bid of digging to
see if we can discover more about the real issues and find out if there are any
solutions. For once we don’t want to hear your stories, as we have a mountain
of magazines filled with horror stories and solutions to keep us very busy. Fenland ClassicsTV Our monthly trawl of the web Including Bike World Series 9 Episode 4 & 5:
The history of the military motorcycle is fascinating and it is often difficult to stay focused on the key facts. For example many of the pioneer motorcyclists of WW1, not content with risking life and limb on the roads of France and Belgium, were drawn to the excitement of flying and joined the RFC. Sadly many of those who did not get shot down fell out of the sky in aircraft that were essentially still under continuous development. During the early part of 1915 the Motorcycle magazine was advertising for men to join the newly formed Motor Machine Gun Service. The concept was highly mobile units able to move quickly to where they were required. However, the concept behind this new service was soon overtaken by events on the Western front as both sides dug in bringing to what had been a mobile war. Many of those who signed up to the MMGS subsequently found themselves attached to units in the trenches. Below is a short film which shows this mobile force during WW1.
Still on the subject of Combinations, I was privileged to view the ledgers of Westerdick & Sons who manufactured sidecar bodies for Phelon and Moore. A member of the family had read my article on Brooklands during WW1. Originally a firm of cabinet makers, they branched out into manufacturing after one of the sons designed and manufactured a sidecar body. The Father was not keen on the new departure, but the son proved that it was more than just an extension of his love of motorcycles by obtaining contracts to supply many manufacturers with Sidecar bodies. The long and boring final stages of the book are going well and I must thank Mortons Media who have tracked down some wonderful images which will help bring the words to life.
We have recently rescued a 1938 250cc AJS Model 22. The bike is in reasonable condition having been dry stored for many years. The engine still has compression and everything looks complete. The 250 is a twin port which has had one of the ports closed off. This was apparently not uncommon for trials riders or those who just wanted to save a few bob on Exhausts. The priority was to check out the fuel tank, which whilst damaged was not leaking. The gloppy liquid mess inside was drained, and seems to be old petrol rather than a degraded tank liner. Next on the list will be to clean out the tank then remove the carburettor for cleaning. Watch out for further updates over the coming month.
John Surtees
BBC's excellent series Racing Legends included (at last) the living legend which is John Surtees. John Surtees really is a living legend and an old school gentleman. These days he devotes his time to building up a collection of Cars and Bikes which are paraded and displayed to raise money for the Henry Surtees Foundation founded after the tragic death of his son. If you missed the programme or don't live in the UK click below (NO LONGER AVAILABLE).
[ link removed ]
Cafe Racer of the Year 2014
This is your chance to vote on the top ten Cafe Racers featured on Cafe Racer TV
Fenland Classics TV
This month we have trawled the Internet to find what we think are the best bike related films online.
Cafe Racer (BMW R90 S by Sebastien Beaupere) A Short from Cafe Racer TV Slightly Spooky computer assisted narration but excellent images.
WINGS - a film about the retro motorcycle.A moody short by Stephanie Meffait
The Way of the Desert SledA short from Cycle world showcasing Triumph Trail Bikes
Chelsea Bridge Boys- Rockers An insightful period documentary film by Peter Davis and Staffan Lamm
Kott Motorcycles 1971 Honda CB750 Custom Cafe Racer. Street footage from the Moto Channel.
Bike World Series 8 Episode 7More from Suzi and the gang at Bike World
Dick's Silver TT Replica from 1967 complete with entry pack
Late October brought sad news of the death of Brooklands Motorcycle
Volunteer Richard Standing. “Dick” was a wonderful character who always had a
tale to tell about his career as an engineer at Hawker Sidley and British
Airways, flying model Aircraft, sailing and bike racing. He was very modest
about his own achievements on the track and it was not until his funeral on 17 November
that many of us knew of the two Bronze and one Silver TT replicas that he had
won on the island. The Silver was won in the Diamond Jubilee year of 1967, in a
race that featured the period greats of Agostini and Hailwood. Over 87mph not bad for a part-timer! Many
members of the VMCC Brooklands Section, where he served as a Committee Member,
accompanied him on his last ride out, and 150 family and friends squeezed into
the chapel to hear tributes from his close family and friends. You can read a
full tribute to Dick on the Old Bike Mart website.
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Warbike Project
The book is (still) nearing completion and it seems that the
last bit is never ending. The pictures are looking great and it should not be
long until we can get the first full draft off the press. Meanwhile this is an
ongoing project; so if you have any WW1 military motorcycle information to
contribute please write to warbike@fenlandclassics.co.uk
or check out the warbike project facebook page. We are still looking for a 1914-20 Phelon and
Moore bike to photograph at the Brooklands circuit to commemorate the many bikes
tested at the Weybridge track before and during WW1. If you have or know of a
P&M bike please contact us at warbike@fenlandclassics.co.uk
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The Southern Off Road and Racing Show
Brooklands Stand at Last years Kempton Show
The Southern Off Road and Racing Show will be
held at Kempton park Race course on 6 December 2014. The ever popular Bike jumble
will be supplemented by the show all for the price of just £6 with reductions
for pensioners. The Brooklands Volunteers will be promoting the Museum with two
bikes from the collection.
Sammy Miller Prepares for a ride at his museum in 2013
The first is a 1927 Tommy Meeten Francis Barnett.
This is the Record Breaking minnow that went up against the big boys in 1927
winning the 6 hour endurance race at an average speed of 50 mph. The high average
speed was maintained with the addition of two auxiliary tanks mounted to the
rear on each side. The pocket rocket was fully restored a few years ago by the volunteers and still
runs regularly.
At present the bike is at present being prepared for a trip to the Montlhéry
vintage meeting in May 2015.
Ian Prepares for a run during the 2014 photo shoot
The second bike on the stand will be a 600cc EW Douglas which was built from a collection of bits that were donated to the museum. Volunteers Ian and Carl spent many hours converting the diverse collection into this this stunning bike. The Douglas that was featured in The April 2014 edition of The Classic Bike Guide Magazine is also regularly run on the test track at Brooklands.
The dangerously low ground clearance is a challenge
The motorcycle makes its second appearance at the Kempton Venue having previously featured at the Southern Classic Bike Show. A full review of the December show will appear in the January Blog.
Whilst on the subject of Brooklands there was
the usual big turn out for the Brooklands Museum Military Vehicles Day on 16
November. Bikes were represented by a WW2 RAF BSA and a GI Indian.
These solos
were heavily outnumbered by several Zundapp and BMW combinations. They relished the challenges of the Mercedes World 4x4 test track
in the morning and most were out again for a rumble up Test Hill.
Barnes Wallis
was turning in his grave, but Churchill and Monty were also on hand to save the
editorial balance of this piece.
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Road Improvement Programme
The PM visits a single carriageway section of the A1. Without any Traffic!
Transport Secretary Patrick Mcloughlin announced today (1/12) what
he called “the biggest, boldest and most far reaching roads programme for
decades” We don’t want to get into politics in this space other than to say
that governments come and governments go. Every few years they propose a tunnel
under Stonehenge and other major projects before retreating again. For bikers the
priority must be repairing what is already there, particularly on the twisty B
roads and country lanes we love so much. To be fair there has been improvement
in some areas since a recent injection of cash, but the poor weather over the winter
is bound to compound many roads already in dire need of a make-over.
For those interested the key improvements
announced are A1 to become a dual carriageway from end to end, A303 & A358
to be improved including a Stonehenge Tunnel! Meaning dual carriageway from
London to within 15 mile of Lands End. (I hope the car-park is being increased)
Improvements in the midlands include the M62 becoming a “smart” motorway and
further work on the M42 so that in years to come we can get to the NEC
Motorcycle Live more easily.
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Fenland Classics TV
Another collection of our favorite motorcycle films from the web including Series 8 Episode 2 of Bike World. Select Playlist to skip a film.
Well November is here, and the weather remains good enough for us fair weather bikers to get a few miles under the belt. However, winter is not far away so here are a few jobs that need to be taken care of. Those who are not novices look away now! A few tips for the novice in no particular order:
Drain the tank including lines and carb to ensure the dreaded ethanol does not attack vulnerable parts.
check the drained tank regularly for condensation to avoid rust.
Disconnect batteries, where fitted and store in a safe place
Check tanks for damage to linings or other repairs. These can be dealt with during the winter.
Check and oil all cables.
Clean sprockets & Chains and treat with a tacky lubricant to seal the chain from moisture. Remember you may pay a premium for anything linked to “motorcycles” Machine or Chainsaw lubricants may do the same job for a fraction of the price.
Inspect all the accessible chains and valves to ensure they are in good condition and protect from condensation.
Check suspension and overhaul where required. Check Girder forks carefully for wear. Winter is a good time to get them overhauled/repaired.
Grease and oil all joints and check that the grease/oil is getting to the bearing surface. Old grease will get hard and mixed with dirt and dust, will block the paths. New nipples are easy to pick up at auto jumble if required.
Check all oil pipes to ensure they are clean. Total loss systems should be dismantled and checked for blockages.
Check tyres; not just for wear, but ensure they are not too old. Older tyres will get hard and will not hold the road. A new tyre is a small price to pay.
Consider flushing the oil (although this is better left until just before you take the bike out for spring. Separate Oil tanks can easily be flushed through now. Remember never to mix Castor oil with mineral oil and always clean the whole system before making a switch. Castrol R may smell great, but it is designed for race engines which are regularly overhauled. Castor oil will in any event thicken dramatically if left in an engine.
Check gearbox lubricant levels.
Record Breakers at Brooklands 2015
Brooklands: Long history of Record Breaking
Speak to anyone who has attempted a speed record and they will tell you it is a unique experience. To get to the starting line you need to have the very best engineers and nerves of steel.
Over the next few months we will be discovering what makes these people tick and will be bringing you their stories later in 2015. We will also be working with Brooklands Museum in Surrey to host a record breakers event where visitors will be able to get up and personal with the riders and their machines. It will feature historic and contemporary record breaking machines from tarmac and salt. If you have a record breaking machine you think should be there, get in touch with us at saltfever@fenlandclassics.co.uk
Stafford Show 2014
The weather for the Classic Motorcycle Mechanics was good for the most part with a bit of rain on Sunday. As ever lots to see and the entry fee remains good value for money. If like me you like to spend time rummaging through the hundreds of auto jumble stalls there is very little time to see the show bikes and the many demonstrations/talks etc. I did find that the racing paddock area seemed to be quieter than most other areas. I am not sure if it just coincided with my visits or if it was a bit off the main drag. All in all another good show and plenty to see inside when the rain appeared. Steve Thomas got the best in show award with this 1966 Kawasaki 125. It took him three and a half years to reach showroom condition from a tatty but original start.
Steve Thomas's Best in Show
There was keen interest in the lots on offer in the Bonhams sale.
Lots to see in the main hall.
And action outside in the trials area.
Fenland Classics TV
Here is our pick of the Web for November: 1. A short film by Kevin Kaltenhofer A study of the V-Rod Cafe Racer by German based Custom Builder DR Mechanik. 2. More men in sheds. This film by Mathew Harrington is a glimpse into the world of Oz Blogger and Custom Builder Mat Machine. 3. A Documentary Network short by David Wilson. The Lost art of Motorcycle engineering is about American Adam Cramer, a man with some wise words about the state of the nation which applies equally to the UK. 4. Bike World Series 8 Episode 1: More from the world of motorcycling brought to you by Suzy Taylor.
